NEWSLETTER
The 2014 MLB Draft kicks off this week, and it marks the single most important event of the year for the long-term health of an organization. Of course, because the MLB Draft is so different from the NFL or NBA Drafts, where you see the players immediately, it’s harder to perceive the draft as so important. But, yeah, it really is.
I thought it would be useful to offer a rundown of the logistics in advance of this year’s iteration, which begins on Thursday. Tomorrow, I’ll offer some more detail on the mechanics of drafting in the current CBA era.
The Schedule
Day One of the 2014 MLB Draft is this Thursday, June 5. The Draft begins at 6pm CT (7pm ET), and the first two rounds take place on Day One. It’s annually a fun night – the closest approximation to the NFL/NBA Drafts that MLB can offer, even if it isn’t quite the same. The Cubs pick fourth overall, and then again early in the second round, so the whole night is probably going to be pretty exciting.
Day Two of the Draft is Friday, June 6, and includes Rounds Three through Ten. Each team’s bonus pool is for the first 10 rounds, so there is some synchronicity there, though it pushes some of the excitement from Day Two to Day Three of the Draft – recall, many teams use the latter rounds before the 11th round (8/9/10 range) to “save” bonus pool money for use elsewhere, making those rounds not always as intriguing than, say, rounds 11 through 15. Day Two of the Draft begins at 12pm CT (1pm ET), with a pre-show in the half hour before.
Day Three of the Draft is Saturday, June 7, and finishes things up with Rounds 11 through 40. It’s rapid fire, and there’s very little fanfare (even if there is excitement for Draft nerds like us). You’ll see a lot of intriguing “overslot” types who’ve slipped get picked in this range. Day Three of the Draft also begins at 12pm CT (1pm ET), and, again, there’s a pre-show in the half hour before.
The Coverage
Day One of the Draft is being televised on MLB Network and streamed on MLB.com, and begins with a Draft preview show at 5pm CT (6pm ET). There will be live coverage here at BN all evening, so make sure you stop by. It tends to have a fun, party atmosphere in the comments as the Draft goes on. People seem to enjoy it every year.
Day Two of the Draft is being streamed on MLB.com. We’ll have pick-by-pick coverage here at BN, including plenty of thoughts/reactions/analysis as quickly as we can.
Day Three of the Draft is also being streamed on MLB.com, and the coverage here at BN should be similar to Day Two’s coverage. We obsess, you enjoy. That’s the protocol.
The Order
First Round (4.5 minutes per pick):
1. Astros
2. Marlins
3. White Sox
4. Cubs
5. Twins
6. Mariners
7. Phillies
8. Rockies
9. Blue Jays
10. Mets
11. Blue Jays (failure to sign Phil Bickford)
12. Brewers
13. Padres
14. Giants
15. Angels
16. Diamondbacks
17. Royals
18. Nationals
19. Reds
20. Rays
21. Indians
22. Dodgers
23. Tigers
24. Pirates
25. Athletics
26. Red Sox
27. Cardinals
Compensatory Picks:
28. Royals
29. Reds
30. Rangers
31. Indians
32. Braves
33. Red Sox
34. Cardinals
Competitive Balance Picks (Round A):
35. Rockies
36. Marlins (failure to sign Matt Krook)
37. Astros (via Orioles)
38. Indians
39. Pirates (via Marlins)
40. Royals
41. Brewers
Second Round (one minute per pick):
42. Astros
43. Marlins
44. White Sox
45. Cubs
46. Twins
47. Phillies
48. Rockies
49. Blue Jays
50. Brewers
51. Padres
52. Giants
53. Angels
54. Diamondbacks
55. Yankees
56. Royals
57. Nationals
58. Reds
59. Rangers
60. Rays
61. Indians
62. Dodgers
63. Tigers
64. Pirates
65. Athletics
66. Braves
67. Red Sox
68. Cardinals
Competitive Balance Picks (Round B):
69. Diamondbacks (via Padres)
70. Diamondbacks
71. Cardinals
72. Rays
73. Pirates
74. Mariners
The rounds thereafter follow the order of the second round. There is one minute per pick for rounds three through ten, and then no time limit (i.e., they pick immediately) in the rounds thereafter.
